Our speakers in this webinar are John Stack, JD, author of a Note in the Minnesota Law Review examining the feasibility of a Mississippi River Compact; Mayor David Kleis of St. Cloud and Minnesota Senator John Hoffman. Viewers will learn about the legal basis for a potential compact and the recent call by a group of Mayors along the River for a compact. Finally, we look at the political situation and what it would take, at least in one state, to establish such a Compact.
The Mississippi River passes through ten states on its way to the Gulf. Each of these ten states has their own priorities for appropriation, pollution protection and clean ups. The Federal government has jurisdiction for enforcing the Clean Water Act, jurisdiction which was recently curtailed by the US Supreme Court’s Sackett decision. This governance structure is not effective for protecting the Mississippi from out of basin appropriations, non-point source pollution and other stresses. Climate change and population growth are exacerbating the problems. A Mississippi River Compact is a potential interstate agreement that would establish a unified management system across all states within the Mississippi River basin, aiming to address the critical environmental challenges facing the river by coordinating conservation efforts, water allocation, and pollution control under a single governing body, potentially providing a more comprehensive approach to protecting the river's ecosystem and future sustainability. This session lays out the groundwork for LWV UMRR as we work within the League of Women Voters and with other like-minded nonpartisan organizations to support the efforts of the Mayors and others working toward a Mississippi River Compact. This work is supported by the approved LWV UMRR 2024-25 Program for Action and the LWV US position on Inter-basin Transfers. Click "Read More" below to see these documents.
LWV US position on Inter-basin water transfers:
From Impact on Issues 2022-2024 Proposed Inter-basin Water Transfers Interstate and inter-basin transfers are not new or unusual. Water transfers have served municipal supplies, industry, energy development, and agriculture. Construction costs of large-scale water transfers are high, and economic losses in the basin of origin also may be high. Environmental costs of water transfers may include quantitative and qualitative changes in wetlands and related fisheries and wildlife, diminished aquifer recharge, and reduced stream flows. Lowered water tables also may affect groundwater quality and cause land subsidence. As we look to the future, water transfer decisions will need to incorporate the high costs of moving water, the limited availability of unallocated water, and our still-limited knowledge of impacts on the affected ecosystems. To develop member understanding and agreement on proposals for large-scale water transfer projects, state and local Leagues need to work together. The following guidelines are designed to help Leagues jointly evaluate new proposals for large-scale water transfers. The process for evaluating the suitability of new proposed inter-basin water transfers should include:
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